Colombo: Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse a group of Buddhist monks attempting to march towards the President’s House in Sri Lanka’s capital demanding that better hostel facilities be provided for student monks, police said yesterday.

Some 800 monks clad in saffron-coloured robes advanced towards the President’s House when they were confronted by police. The monks sat down on a main highway and chanted anti-government slogans.

After nearly four hours of protest, police used teargas and water cannons and arrested at least eight monks. The monks were ordered to appear in court for disrupting traffic and causing public inconvenience.

The monks are backed by the Marxist JVP (People’s Liberation Front), which initially was part of the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA), but later withdrew its support. – DPA